


Daybreak

by StellaLuna34



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Slow Burn, Sort Of, post Avengers 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-06-25 10:41:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15639093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaLuna34/pseuds/StellaLuna34
Summary: Tony Stark never expected the win against Thanos to take so many lives. While him and the new Avengers struggle to regroup and move forward in their lives, Tony seems to find the presence a certain doctor comforting, and it seems as if it’s reciprocated. However, both their lives change when Stephen finds a mysterious suitcase in a trash bin while on an early morning mission.





	1. Blood and Dust

Tony’s vision back in Sokovia had almost come true. Everyone had told him countless time that it was just Wanda messing with him, but the view before him was almost too true accurate to be coincidental. Instead of being in space, like in his vision, they had fought in Wakanda. Fallen warriors from both sides were scattered across the flat terrain as the sun began to peak up from the horizon. Tony leaned against a tall rock as he tried to steady his breathing. He couldn’t decide if the sight before him was real or a nightmare. Steve Rogers’ body laid to Tony’s far right. His arm shields had cracked beyond repair and his armor was ripped. Dirt completely caked him and almost covered the wounds and bruises he had. Tony waited to see the rise and fall of the super soldier’s chest, but it never occurred. Close to Steve laid Hulk, who had transformed back into Bruce Banner. His body was decorated with awful injuries and he also showed no signs of breathing.

“Natasha!”

Tony’s head snapped at the sound of Clint’s frantic voice. He watched the archer limp towards the assassin’s lifeless body and try to resuscitate her. Light coughing was heard behind Tony, and as he turned around, he saw Thor trying to prop himself up with his axe. His brown and blue eyes were fixated on the rising sun. It took Tony a moment before he could urge his body to limp to the Asgardian.  Every part of his body screamed at him, but he continued. 

“You need help?” He questioned. It took a moment for Thor to register the question. He drew his gaze away from the sunrise and to Tony.

“Is it done?” the God of thunder asked, his voice raspy and frail. Tony turned back to see the limp body of Thanos, then back to Thor.

“I think so. The gauntlet is by that rock.” He answered, pointing to the boulder. Thor’s eyes slowly locked on the gauntlet, then to Thanos. A faint smile spread across his mouth.

“Thank the gods.”

Thor’s grip on his axe loosened as he let himself collapse. Tony tried to catch him, but he was too late.

“Come on Thor, we’ve got to get moving.” The metal avenger commented. Thor’s gaze landed back on the glowing horizon. 

“He…He was right.” The Asgardian chuckled softly.

“Come on buddy, stay with me.” Tony pleaded as he tried to prop Thor in a sitting position. He could tell the life was slowly draining from Thor. Thor shook his head as he continued to stare at the sun with half-closed eyes. With the last bit of strength he had, the Asgardian squeezed Tony’s arm, almost as if to say ‘Thank you’. A sigh escaped Tony as he gently laid Thor’s body on the golden grass. The choking lump in his throat grew as he studied Thor’s lifeless gaze. As Tony looked up to see Wakanda’s fields, the rising sun blinded him. Instead of turning away from the bright light, he closed his eyes and let the sun’s warmth coat him. Thoughts and emotions buzzed around in his mind, but he couldn’t express anything. His body felt like it was being dragged through molasses. It was as if his body worked a minute slower than his brain. 

Despite his dazed state, his mind and body connected the dots to a hand being rested on his right shoulder. When Tony opened his eyes, he saw a worn out and bruised Clint. The assassin rested the infinity gauntlet by his right side. The two remaining avengers looked to one another in exhaustion. Although their expressions displayed nothing, their eyes told everything. Clint’s hazy blue eyes glittered with welding tears. Not a word was spoken between them. Tony’s thoughts were so scattered he couldn’t find the words he needed, and Clint held his tongue in fear of spilling out the sorrow built up in his chest. With a deep breath, Tony put his hand into the gauntlet and lifted it off the ground. The gauntlet’s power surged through him as he activated it. The six stones glowed brightly in their golden carrier. As Tony studied the stones, he began focusing his mind on bringing half the universe back. Memories from Titan and his hope of the future flashed through his head as he gazed at the weapon in his hand. When Tony snapped his fingers, an enormous wave of power rippled through his body. A loud boom echoed through Wakanda as well. 

His vision went black and a loud shrilling noise rang in his ears. He thought he heard Clint’s voice, but it was so faint he thought he imagined it. Suddenly, a bright green flash flooded his vision. Not long after, he felt arms wrap around him, encasing him a comforting warmth. Although he didn’t know who was hugging him, he felt at peace and blissful. Tony though he’d have some underlying feeling of wariness, but in that moment, all he felt was the warm glow of happiness in his heart. There was such a strong, giddy feeling in his chest that he couldn’t contain a smile. The scent of the other person made his heart soar as well. He couldn’t identify what it smelled like, but all that came to mind was home. It certainly wasn’t his house’s scent, but it reminded him of a home he secretly dreamed of having. 

A few more moments passed by before the warmth slowly began to leave. As it began to fade, a warm glowing light came into view. A muffled young voice shouted to him as a blurry figure walked in front of him. He heard his muffled voice respond. He had no control over his actions. As he continued to watch the scene before him, the figure slowly came into focus. The figure was a young man, no older than sixteen, with dark brown hair in a business cut and naturally tanned skin. Tony had no idea what the teen was rambling about, but he could tell it was important by the way his chocolate brown eyes beamed with excitement.

The sound of a distant computer alarm silenced the teen. He immediately began to fiddle with the electronic watch on his wrist. In less than a minute, the teen was dressed in a navy blue and golden armored suit made by his nanotech. 

_ “Please be careful.” _ He heard himself say.

_ “Don’t worry dad; I’ll be fine.” _ The teen replied with a chuckle before his face was covered with the well-known Iron Man mask. Tony felt his heart leap.

_ That’s my kid. _ He thought to himself.  _ But how did this happen? _

His mind began to reel with questions. Was this an illusion? Was this his future? Or was it once a possibility in his future? Had he destroyed it?

Panic began to set in as the sight before him grew blurry and dim. He tried to reach out to the teen, but he couldn’t move his arm. Instead, he stared at the scene, trying to ingrain the moment forever in his memory. 

“Tony! Tony!” He faintly heard someone call out. As the voice got clearer, the teen slowly began to disappear. The rising sun took his place as Tony’s vision cleared. 

“You alright?” Tony heard Clint question. The engineer nodded as Clint helped him up.

“I don’t know what you did, but it’s working.” Clint commented as he pointed to the sky, now hazy with dark, clay-like dust. The wind had picked up and roared through Wakanda. Funnels of wind formed one by one, carrying dense packs of dust. Tony and Clint stared in awe as they watched the dust take shape of a human figure. Wanda Maximoff was the first to reappear. Clint darted towards her and gave her a welcoming hug. Tears streamed down her face as she hugged him back. Not long after, Falcon reappeared, then Bucky, then Peter Quill. Tony frantically scanned the growing crowd of people. He desperately tried to find any hint of a red, blue, and gold suit he had made himself. 

“Woah! It worked! They did it!” A familiar young voice chirped. Tony turned his head to see Peter Parker smiling at the crowd. Without thinking, Tony dropped the gauntlet and began to limp towards the young man. Peter’s eyes widened as he saw his mentor struggling to walk.

“Mr. Stark! Slow down! You’re hurt!” Peter called out as he jogged over. “Does your armor have any cool medical gear-”

The young man was interrupted by unexpected arms wrapping around him. At first, Peter tried to make a joke on the hug, but stopped when he felt Tony begin to shake. Peter tightened his hug as his lip quivered. 

After they broke the hug, Tony tried to hide his falling tears with his hand, but stopped when his eyes landed on a familiar cloaked man. A mixture of emotions churned inside him as he locked gazes with the man. He thought he would’ve been able to be calm and collected during this time, but silent tears continued to pour down.

“Tony.” The doctor called out, his voice slightly cracking. Tony watched as Stephen tried to from sentences on his walk over, but he was unsuccessful. Despite his lack of words, Tony knew what Stephen was trying to say. The doctor’s glassy eyes were filled with sincere apologies and scrambled explanations of the future he saw. Tony wished there was another way the fight could have gone, but Stephen was right. He knew there’d be casualties, but he never expected his team to be the majority.

Once the doctor was close enough, Tony threw his arms around him, cutting off whatever Stephen was going to say. Stephen paused in shock at Tony’s hug, but quickly wrapped his arms around the mechanic once he realized what had happened.

“I’m sorry.” Stephen whispered as he tightened his hug. Tony only responded by hugging him tighter. For the first time in a while, Tony felt a sense of ease in their warm embrace. His tense muscles felt relaxed and sore while his twisted stomach felt unknotted. Although he did not trust his feelings, he felt relief of some sort. He must have felt too much relief as he felt his legs buckle beneath him. He braced himself for the fall, but Stephen’s grip kept him from doing so. Stephen felt the shift in weight and moved Tony to where Tony’s arms rested on his shoulders, letting Stephen support him.

                                 “Let’s go home.”


	2. Recovering

“Hello everyone. I hope you all are doing well after last month’s ordeal.” Clint began as he looked at the crowd surrounding a large silver table. “Starting today, all of you will become the new faces of the Avengers.”

Sam and Bucky glanced at one another in sorrow.

“Unfortunately, there’s no sugar coating the passing of our friends. Our team will never be the same without them, but we need to begin out next plan of action in case those alien freaks aren’t finished. Clint continued. Ant-man, Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Scarlet Witch looked to each other and nodded in agreement.

“Luckily for you guys, Tony’s developed fighting stimulations, so you’ll learn how to fight as a team before you’re needed on the field.”

“I’m also working on some new gear as well.” The mechanic added.

“With Stark’s stimulation, he and I will decide on who will lead.” Clint commented as he picked up a tablet from the table.

“But, wouldn’t you or Mr. Stark be the leader?” Peter Parker questioned from the far end of the table. His head peaked out from the hidden spot he was in. Tony glanced at the teen, as if to answer, but turned his head to the window behind him. Clint pressed his mouth in a line, trying to hide a frown. He looked to Tony, then back at his glass tablet.

“We are stepping down as Avengers. For now, we’ll be your ‘head of command’ and possible backup.” Clint responded, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Peter nodded, signaling he understood. However, he looked to the doctor sitting across him in worry. The doctor noticed Peter’s deer-in-headlights gaze and waved his hand, signaling he’d figure things out.

Once the meeting was over, Tony called Peter over. The teen scrunched his shoulders up slightly, as if he was a child about to be scolded. As Peter walked over to the window Tony stood at, he noticed the engineer held a sad gaze. The grey clouds casted a hazy light onto the land. It was so dulling that even vibrant colors seemed plain in it. 

“I want you to put aside your spider-man duties for now.” Tony stated, never tearing his gaze away from the window.

“Mr. Stark-” Peter tried to argue.

“Just for a month or two. I don’t want us to get on Aunt May’s nerves again.” Tony interrupted. “Besides, you need to focus more on school and friends right now.”

Peter sighed in defeat. He knew Tony was right.

“Okay.”

 

*   * *   *

 

Tony jumped at the sound of his workshop door opening.

“Geez, would it kill ya to knock?” He shot, whirling around in his stool to see who his visitor was. His expression softened when he recognized Stephen.

“What’s up, doc?” Tony joked. Stephen’s neutral expression showed no signs of amusement.

“I came to tell you I won’t be joining the team you are recruiting." Stephen stated. Tony set his tools down.

“What? Aw come on, having a wizard on the team would be beneficial for everyone.”   


“Then get someone else. I have a duty to protect the New York Sanctum.”

Tony frowned as he went back to working on his suit.

“Suit yourself.” He replied. There was a pause of silence before Stephen spoke again.

“I also came by to talk.” Stephen added in a softer tone. Tony closed his eyes and sighed. 

“I’d prefer if we didn’t.” The mechanic shot back, his voice sharper than he expected. “I’ve tried the whole talking-about-your-feelings thing, not a fan.”

“Anthony.” Stephen pleaded, his voice kind yet firm. The use of his formal name caught Tony so off guard he couldn’t argue back. Stephen walked over to Tony’s work table and sat on the empty stool next to him.

“What happened while we were gone?” He questioned. Tony bit the inside of his cheek as he continued to work. Stephen stayed quiet as he watched Tony aimlessly tinker, then pulled out a book from a portal he created. Tony expected Stephen to have left after twenty minutes, but the doctor stayed, and his question still lingered. Soon thirty minutes passed, then forty.

“Are you expecting an answer today?” Tony questioned, breaking the silence. Stephen shook his head from side to side in response. 

“Answer on your own time. It doesn’t have to be all at once either.” Stephen replied. Tony tried to think of a way to summarize the four months of hell he had endured. Where did he start? How in depth should he go? How could he tell the story without the fear of something snapping within him? Although it had been recent, it still felt distant and hazy in Tony’s mind. Small moments of different events flashed across his stream of thought. A sudden memory of Thanos strangling him made Tony slam his fist on the table he sat at. As Tony turned to Stephen to see his reaction, he noticed Stephen had used his magic to keep some of his expensive items from falling on the grey tile floor. 

“Like I said, answer on your own time. Don’t stress yourself out thinking of a way to tell it. Just say whatever comes to mind.” Stephen commented as he stood up to leave. To Tony’s surprise, he took the doctor’s advice. When spurts of inner confidence surfaced, he’d pull Stephen aside and told a part of his story. Tony thought he’d get annoyed with it after a couple of days, but no matter what, the doctor listened intently. Not once did he ever tell Tony to shut it or show any disinterest. Story by story, Stephen pieced the four months together. Soon after Tony returned from Titan, the avengers reassembled and Tony dove headfirst into his work. He did everything he could to try to build a weapon to counteract the gauntlet’s power. He eventually came up with a device that inhibited Thanos from moving his hand and temporarily deactivated the stones. However, as Tony told his story, Stephen could tell he was leaving out something. Tony discussed how he had to confront numerous people, including the press, higher-up authorities, and Aunt May. Stephen could tell the discussion with Aunt May didn’t go well by the way Tony fiddled with his gold watch. Once Tony had caught Stephen up on the events after the snap, Stephen knew what he was leaving out. It wasn’t until a month and a half passed before Tony brought it up.

“I lost her.” Tony sighed after he had thrown a tool against the wall. Stephen looked up from his array of books on another table.

“The stress of all of this-” Tony continued as he gestured to the Avengers building they were in. “-was too much for her. I don’t blame her; the breakup was probably the best thing for her.”

Stephen looked to Tony with a calm expression. Tony looked back at Stephen, eyes welding with oncoming tears.

“She was all I had left.” He murmured, his voice cracking.

Stephen was not fond of giving affection to anyone, but in that moment, it completely slipped his mind. Tony expected Stephen to walk out of the workshop when he stood up, but when Stephen began to approach him, he froze in shock. The sorcerer wrapped his arms tightly around the seated mechanic. Tony accepted the side hug in silence as he leaned his head against Stephen’s arm. He tried to suppress his tears by burying his face in Stephen’s sleeve, but he knew he’d fail. His shoulders hung heavy with the loss of Pepper and the death of his friends. He tried to push the guilt and sorrow away, but Stephen somehow unlocked the floodgates holding them back.

As Tony’s tears developed into silent sobs, Stephen only held him tighter. Despite his aching heart burning in his chest, Tony felt a glimmer of relief. The doctor held him until Tony had calmed down, and made no usual side comment about it. He simply returned back to his pile of scattered books and continued reading. Although neither of them said a word for the rest of the day, Stephen’s presence somehow put him at ease. His shoulders dropped from their stressed, hunched position.

Why did he have such an effect on him?

  
  



	3. A Newcomer

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Tony hissed as he glared at his projected blue screens.

“Perhaps it’s time for a break, boss.” FRIDAY commented. 

“No, we are on a time crunch.”

“Sir, there is no deadline to design these upgrades.”

Tony grinded his teeth and nearly snapped his pen in half.

“Taking a break might help that block you’ve got.” Clint agreed as he walked by Tony’s workshop.

“I’ve taken plenty of breaks. No matter what I do, I can’t make anything.” Tony snapped back. He had been trying to design and build new technology for the team for two whole months, but none of it worked. His new designs seemed simple and elementary compared to what he’s created before. He had made brilliant things in the past! Hell, he made a functioning suit with nothing but scraps. So what was stopping him? His creativity had never hindered this much before.

“Seriously Tony. Take a break. This is the fourth all-nighter you’ve pulled; thankfully not in a row.” Clint added as he gave Tony a warm cup of coffee.

“Why are you up so early?” Tony questioned. “It’s  not even six o’clock.”

“Some hotshot called Shockwave has been causing trouble. I sent part of the team to take him town. It should be a fairly easy mission.” Clint replied, showing Tony the glass tablet.

Tony nodded as he flipped through security footage of the golden fighter.

“You think they’re fully awake?”

“They will be after this.”

 

*   * *   *

 

A soft rumble in the sanctum stirred Stephen from his slumber. His mind snapped clear as another rumble shook the sanctum again. In less than five minutes, Stephen got dressed as was running out the front door, his cloak following quickly behind him.

Considering part of the new Avengers were fighting against this early rising villain, Stephen expected the fight to be somewhat controlled. He knew he had been severely wrong as his back slammed against the side of a tall building. The harsh, cold breeze did not help either. He also silently thanked the cloak for preventing him from falling. 

As he fought, he’d watch the new team struggle with balance. Scarlet Witch would try to take Shockwave on her own, but Falcon or Wasp would try to intervene as a form of help, and they’d clash. This gave the opponent an advantage. When the Avengers were distracted by their arguing, he’d take one of them down. Stephen couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Did it really take four people, including himself, to take down this guy?

Stephen’s thoughts were interrupted by Scarlet Witch crashing into him. While she regained her flight, Stephen was sent spiralling downwards. The cloak tried to break his fall, but he still crashed pretty hard into a tall trash bin in an abandoned alleyway. The sorcerer cursed to himself as he slowly stood up. His shoulder felt as if it were on fire and his back grew stiff. Luckily, his arms and legs were spared. As Stephen began to roll his shoulder to relax his tense muscles, he heard a faint cry. When he turned his head around to locate the sound, his eyes landed on the closed trash bin he hit. He mentally crossed out any sort of animal due to the familiarity of the cry. Stephen fixed his golden yellow gloves as he approached the bin. With a strong tug, the sorcerer swung half of the trash bin cover, revealing an assortment of full, white and black trash bags. With the help of the rising sun, Stephen’s eyes landed on the corner of a new brown suitcase. As Stephen magically moved the trash bags from encasing the suitcase, the wailing grew louder, and Stephen finally recognized it.

“Stark, you there?” Stephen asked as he pressed the communicator in his ear.

“Once second.” He heard Clint respond.

“Hey wizard, you alright? That looked like a nasty fall.” Falcon questioned through the comm.

“I’m fine.” Stephen stated.

“You called, Strange?” Tony questioned after a pause. 

“Can you locate the nearest hospital?” Stephen asked as he gently took out the heavy suitcase.

“You alright? What happened?”

“This isn’t about me.” Stephen snapped. “I need you to contact the hospital’s pediatrics or NICU center immediately.”

“On it.”

As Stephen opened the suitcase, he sighed and clenched his jaw. Inside the large suitcase was a baby no older than a month, completely pale due to the cold.

“Stark?”

“One sec. No one picked up so I’m stopping by.”

“Make it quick. I’ll be there shortly.” Stephen replied, trying to tug off his cloak, but it refused.

“Don’t fuss with me. He needs to get warm.” He argued. The cloak gave one last tug before wrapping itself around the child, completely covering him except for his small face. Once Stephen created a portal to the closest hospital, he gently picked up the shivering child and ran through it. As Stephen rushed in and closed the portal, he found Tony in his Iron Man suit arguing with a pediatrician. Both of them fell silent as they turned their heads to Stephen. The doctor immediately walked towards Stephen and took the child in her arms. She began to spout orders as the cloak unraveled itself from the newborn. When the cloak uncovered the baby, Stephen noticed the child had a missing leg. In its place was a small stump.

“Where did you find him?” The doctor questioned, her voice firm and professional.

“I found him in a suitcase that was buried inside of a trash bin.” Stephen replied. Tony’s eyes widened at the statement.

“By the looks of it, he’s been outside for a while.” The doctor added. “I can update you on how he’s doing, but you’ll have to stay in the waiting room.”

“Not a problem.” Tony answered quickly.   
  
As Stephen and Tony sat quietly in the waiting room, they got an array of questioning glances from the patients, nurses, doctors. Stephen closed his eyes, focusing on ignoring the scorching pain in his shoulder. He was concentrating so much he didn’t notice Tony deactivate his nanotech suit and leave. It was only when Tony returned with alcohol wipes, bandages, and an ice pack did Stephen notice the disturbance. 

“Which shoulder is it?” The avenger questioned. Stephen opened his eyes and turned his head towards Tony.

“It’s fine. I treat it later.” Stephen sighed.

“We have time to kill and better medical supplies than the stuff you have back at the sanctum. Plus, it’s better to take care of it now than later.” Tony stated in a pressing tone. “Now which shoulder is it?”

Stephen rolled his eyes.

“You do realize I’m the one with the medical degree, right?” 

It was Tony’s turn to roll his eyes.   
“Fine. I didn’t want to have to do this the hard way.” Tony sighed. Stephen raised an eyebrow. By the time he figured out what Tony meant, the engineer had already put pressure on one of his shoulders. Stephen let out a sharp hiss and flinched away, signifying Tony’s guess was correct. 

“Leave it alone, Stark.”

“Can I not help?” Tony argued. “Or are you that full of yourself that you couldn't possibly imagine a commoner trying to help your injury?”

Stephen glared at the engineer. He didn’t understand what was the big deal. He could easily treat it back at the sanctum, so why was Tony so insistent?  The main concern should be the baby, not him. He just had a small injury. The baby’s life was the one at stake.

With a sigh, the doctor moved his sleeve down and shifted his robes, exposing his injured shoulder. He could tell it was already bruising badly by the sour expression Tony gave when he inspected his shoulder. Tony took no time to tend to the bleeding scrapes decorating the doctor’s skin. As Tony patched Stephen up, Stephen watched him with his peripheral vision. He couldn’t determine why he watched, but he couldn’t stop himself. There was something calming about the mechanic’s soft expression. Stephen expected Tony to be rough and careless, but he was the opposite. 

When Tony was finished, he moved Stephen’s robes to cover his shoulder and placed the ice pack lightly on it.

“Was that so bad?” Tony joked. Stephen replied with a half-joking glare. A smirk spread over Tony’s lips, and Stephen felt something pause in his chest. He immediately pushed it aside once he saw the pediatrician walk through the waiting room doors. She waved her hand to signal them to come with her, and they complied. All three walked through the hospital’s NICU center to see the baby curled up in a isolette. 

“How is he doing?” Tony questioned quietly.

“He’s going to be alright, but we have other matters that we need to talk about.” The doctor replied. She turned to Stephen, giving him a chart.   
“I’m not allowed to show you this, but I think you’ll keep quiet about it. I’m sure you’ve had plenty of chats about it when you practiced medicine.” She added. As Stephen looked through the newborn’s chart, his eyes widened. Tony picked up on the sorcerer’s expression.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.   
  
“There’s no record of him at all; not even his birth.” Stephen replied. “I’m assuming there’s no record of his parents as well.”  
  
“I’ve checked with the Labor and Delivery files. There was no record of a hispanic family who gave birth in the past month. I can’t check anything more than that. I would say to contact any midwives in the city, but I doubt you’d have any luck. It’s very obvious his family didn’t want him.” The doctor explained. As she talked, Stephen noticed a small gold chain peeking out from the file. When he pulled it out from behind the papers in the file, it revealed a small bracelet. In the middle of the chain was a small rectangle charm with the name  _ ‘Alvaro’ _ engraved in it.

“What about his leg?” Stephen questioned after the doctor was done talking.

“From what we can tell, he was born with it. There’s no incision lines or any sign of damage.”

There was a pause of silence before someone spoke up.

“What’s going to happen to him once he’s better?” Tony asked. The doctor sighed as she looked to the sleeping newborn.

“My guess is he’s going to be placed in an orphanage. I doubt CPS would want to return him to his family.” 

Tony felt something snap within himself. His blood began to boil the more the information sank in. How could somebody do this? They essentially almost murdered their  _ own child _ _!_ Due to this insane situation, the child may not be raised with love and warmth. No, if he was never adopted, he’ll always be thinking in terms of survival. 

“Once he’s all better, don’t give him to anyone.” Tony stated. “I’ll talk with CPS.”

The pediatrician and Stephen’s eyes widened.

“Mr. Stark, I’m not sure that’s how it works-” She started to say.

“Probably not, but I have to do something.” 

“Tony, I’m sure there are other ways this can go. They might give him to foster parents-” Stephen tried to argue, but he knew it was useless. Once Tony Stark made up his mind on something, he was going to do everything he could to make it happen. 

_ Just let fate play itself out. _ Stephen thought to himself.  _ Who knows, this might be the best thing for both of them. _

  
  



	4. Loss, Hope, and Time

“Mind telling me what’s going on?” Stephen calmly questioned as he closed the mystic arts book he was reading. He had waited a few days to ask anything, but it was slowly eating at him.

“I’d rather not,” Tony sighed as he continued to fix his suit. “But I’m gonna take a wild guess and say you’re going to make me.”

“I’m not going to force you.” Stephen stated. “I’m just concerned-”

“Yeah, right.” Tony spat. Stephen’s grip on the book grew tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

“I’m just charity work, right? You’re just desperate to patch someone back up like you did in your surgeon days!” Tony yelled as he threw his tools down. As he did, he stood up to walk to Stephen, but he stumbled slightly in the process. Stephen silently cursed to himself. He should have known by the hidden glass on Tony’s work desk.   
“Do you really think that little of me, Stark?” Stephen asked, trying not to raise his voice.

“You don’t really care about me. None of you do.” The engineer slurred.

“Really? What about Clint, Rhodey, and Peter? Do you think we hang around just for your wealth?” Stephen hissed. “We’re all concerned, Anthony. For you and for the child. Do you even know the first thing about raising one?”

Tony slammed his fist down on the metal table, making everything on it tremble.

“Don’t you  _ dare _ talk to me about parenting. You think this was an overnight decision? That I’d just adopt a baby without giving any thought beforehand?”

“That’s what it looks like.”

Tony turned his head away from the sorcerer. 

“I’ve thought about this for years, but the time was never right.” He sighed. Stephen walked swiftly to Tony’s aid as the mechanic stumbled again.

“We were so happy,” Tony whimpered as he tried to push the doctor away. “But because of me, I lost them.”

Stephen’s eyebrow raised slightly. Them? Last time, Tony used ‘her’ not ‘them’. Who was the other person?

Tony sensed Stephen’s questions and began to walk down his room hallways. As Stephen followed, he counted three doors. One was obviously Tony’s room, but what were the other two? His workshop was practically connected to his living room. He ruled out storage due to the separate room somewhere else in the Avenger’s compound. Tony approached the farthest door and fumbled with a small keychain in his pocket. As Tony opened the door and turned on the lights, Stephen’s heart dropped to his stomach. The room was painted a soft, yellow color and had small pink wall decorations near the dusty, light brown crib. To the side of the door was a small chest of drawers with numerous parenting books stacked on it. A wooden rocking chair was next to the crib and a small pink onesie hung on the arm rest.

“Her name was Morgan.” Tony sighed as he picked up the onesie. “By now, she would have been born in a month.”

Stephen mentally sighed. With only one working light, the room looked as if it were from a dream. To some extent, it used to be Tony’s dream. Stephen didn’t have to look at the engineer to know. He had an aura of longingness and regret. Stephen frowned at the thought of Pepper and Tony arriving to the doctor’s, only to be told their child had no heartbeat. Out of everything couples went through, losing a child was one of the hardest things to endure.

“I just want a family again.” Tony whispered. “ I want what that gauntlet showed me. I know it’s selfish of me to say that, but it’s true.”

Stephen snapped out of his thoughts.

“The gauntlet did  _ what _ ?” He questioned.

“It gave me some kind of vision of the future. I...I had a son.” The mechanic chuckled sadly. 

“That could have been one of many possibilities-”

“I know. I don’t expect it to be right, but I have a chance to get something similar, and I don’t want to waste it. I’m getting old; I’d figure it’s now or never.”

Stephen replied with a silent nod. He couldn’t argue with that. Everyone’s time was limited, and if raising a child brought Tony joy during that time, then he wouldn’t object.

_ Since when did you care about his happiness? _ The logical side of his mind questioned. He quickly shook the question out of his head as he approached the engineer and helped him steady his balance.   


“What are you doing?” Tony asked weakly. 

“Well, if you’re going to actually do this, you need to be productive tomorrow. Go shower and get to bed.” Stephen replied as he gestured to Tony’s room. Due to Tony using Stephen to steady himself, he leaned a little too close to the sorcerer, and Stephen could clearly smell the alcohol on his breath. Stephen would have made a snarky comment on it if it wasn’t for the shocked gaze Tony had. It looked as if he was surprised Stephen hadn’t argued against his decision. There was something else in Tony’s glistening brown eyes; something that made the doctor’s heart slightly fludder.

“I probably should.” Tony agreed, his tired eyes momentarily glancing around the room before locking back on Stephen’s. Stephen tore his gaze from the mechanic’s and lead him to the first bedroom. Before Tony walked into his room, he turned to the doctor and whispered “Thank you”.    
Maybe it was Tony’s hazy vision, but he could have sworn he saw Stephen slightly grin.


	5. Welcome Home

Adoption was a more complicated process than Tony originally expected. It seemed like the list of things to do was endless. Between meeting with his agents and working with the Avengers, he used his only spare time to visit the child. Tony tried to visit everyday, but it became every other day. There would be days where Alvaro would be sleeping peacefully, and other days he’d be wailing. On the wailing days, Tony wished he could scoop the child up and hold him tightly to his chest. He wished he could walk around and gently rock the child to sleep, probably humming a rock tune. For now, he had the hand holes built in the isolette. He would gently fiddle with the Alvaro’s tiny hand with his index finger and stroke his jet black hair that always spiked in every direction possible. During his visits, Tony’s mind felt more clear than it had anywhere else. He’d get frustrated in his workshop for not being able to think of new ideas, and the meetings with his agents would give him small headaches. Sitting next to Alvaro in the freezing hospital somehow made him relax and got his mind going.

On the days Tony couldn’t visit, Stephen would slip in to check up on Alvaro. They would be brief, except for the times Alvaro was screaming his lungs out. The nurses had done everything they could to feed him, change his diapers, and keep the temperature warm. He was just cranky. During his fit, Stephen would create bright blue butterflies that danced around Alvaro’s isolette. The child’s eyes would immediately widen as he watched the magical butterflies flutter around in their glowing blue wonder. Sometimes Alvaro would squeal in excitement when Stephen would slip through a portal. Stephen didn’t know why he would continuously visit, but there was something about those visits that made his day a little brighter and a little more cheerful.

 

*   * *   *

 

“How old is he? What's his name? Could I possibly babysit him?” Peter questioned to Clint as he paced in the compound's living room. Clint rubbed his face with his hands as he tried to focus on the cop show playing on the TV.

“Calm down kid.” Clint sighed. “I'm the wrong person to ask. Tony should be back in an hour; you can ask him then.”

Peter silently pouted as he let himself fall on the sofa. Clint had to fight an eyeroll. His eldest child acted the same way when he found out he was getting a baby sister. As Clint started to flip through channels, Scott burst into the room with a bright smile on his face. Both Clint and Peter jumped slightly in their seats.

“How come I’m the last person to know Tony’s adopting?” He shouted. “This is awesome! We’ve got to throw some sort of welcoming party!”

“I'll help!” Peter volunteered as he sat up quickly.

“Woah, woah guys. Slow down.” Clint interrupted as he muted the TV.

“Come on Mr. Barton! It's gonna be great!” Peter added.

“We don't even know where Tony is in the adoption process. What if he's bringing the kid today?”

Peter and Scott looked to one another and shrugged.

“I doubt it's that soon.” Scott muttered. There a moment of silence between the three as Scott and Peter tried to think of a plan.

“Maybe we could plan the party together. Ya know, like a team building exercise.” Peter suggested.

“He’s got a point.” Scott added. Clint rolled his eyes.

“If your planning an extravagant party, count me out.” he mumbled.

“No no no; we were thinking about it being us, and maybe the sorcerers-” Peter cut himself off, realizing the phrasing of Clint’s statement. “Wait, so you're in?!”

Clint rolled his eyes again.

“Yes, of course I'm in. Now where do we start?”

 

*   * *   *

 

“Thank you for your patience Mr.Stark. I’m happy to say that Alvaro is now officially Alvaro James Stark.” An older lady congratulated with a smile as she handed Tony a folder of important documents.

“Will I be able to pick him up today?” He asked, trying to hold back a big smile.

“You should be able to, but let me check just in case.”

As soon as Tony got the okay, he immediately bolted to his car and tried not to speed down the noisy streets. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest and he gripped the steering wheel to calm his jitters. The day had finally come! It felt like an eternity waiting for everything to get processed, and Tony would anxiously fix the nursery everyday in case they called. He noticed Peter had been acting secretive lately, but he figured he’d pester him about it later.

As Tony pulled into the foster parent’s house, he could hear his heartbeat echo in his ears. Everything felt perfect yet unreal. It was as if he was having another vivid dream, but he hoped it wasn’t. His body went on autopilot as he stepped through the door of the house and greeted the temporary foster parents. Everything came into crystal clear focus as Tony’s eyes landed on the small, sleeping child in the foster mother’s arms. At first, he was nervous to hold him, but the mother assured him he’d be alright. As Tony cradled Alvaro in his arms, the child opened his eyes to reveal stunning, yet sleepy chocolate brown eyes. Tony almost fell to his knees as he held Alvaro close to him. Warmth filled his chest and all the worries that had been giving him a headache seemed to melt away. All the waiting and paper work had been completely worth it. Seeing the sleepy child gaze up at him in awe made Tony want to squeeze him, but he knew he had to be gentle. All the dreams and ideas of his child he had previously thought about years ago could not match the perfection of the moment. He didn’t care if they shared the same blood or not, or that they would not look alike. Tony knew Alvaro would grow up to be a strong, handsome man who would not let anything get in his way; he was now a Stark after all.

Tony hadn’t realized he had shed a few tears until Alvaro slightly flinched and rubbed his face, which was dotted with water droplets. Tony softly chuckled and kissed his child’s forehead.

“Let’s go home, kid.”

 

*   * *   *

 

“Pete, I gotta admit, you’re starting to scare me now.” Tony commented as he got out of his car to see the teen rocking on his heels next to his car.

“What? I’m just excited to see him, that’s all.” Peter half-lied.

“You are a terrible liar. What did you do now?” Tony chuckled as he began to unclip the baby carrier from the backseat of his car.

“Nothing! I just know you're not fond of surprises, and I wanted to give you a heads up.”

Tony gave Peter a confused look as he and the teen began walking to the Compound’s main door.

“You’re going to have to be specific. I don’t want to walk in to see the place a total disaster.” He replied as he braced himself for the destruction.

“I think you’ll like it.” Peter laughed as he opened the door for Tony. As Peter swung the door open, Tony’s eyes landed on the large painted banner hanging from the ceiling that read ‘Welcome Home Alvaro!’. Various Avengers entered into the main hallway and threw up confetti as Tony admired the decorations. Balloons and streamers colored red and yellow brightened the grey living space. As Peter guided Tony to the kitchen, He saw Rhodey and Clint standing beside a beautifully decorated cake.

“I hope these walls are soundproof.” Clint remarked once Tony was close enough. “I’ve had my fair share of hearing wailing kids.”

Tony rolled his eyes and smiled brightly as he gave both men a hug.

“Whose brilliant idea was this?” He questioned. Rhodey nodded in Peter’s direction. As Tony turned to him, Peter smiled bashfully.

“It wasn’t just me. Mr. Barton and Mr. Lang helped as well.” He commented. Tony’s eyebrow slightly raised as he looked to the archer.

“Really? I never thought of you as the party person.” He laughed, which made Clint sigh and shake his head. The room fell silent as Tony put the carrier on one of the kitchen chairs.

“You guys can see the kid, but not everyone at once. I don’t want him screaming his lungs out already.” He ordered. Peter was the first to slip through the small crowd and towards the carrier.  As the group moved to the large living room, Tony’s eyes widened as his gaze landed on two familiar faces.

“So the wizards came as well.” He remarked as he walked up and shook Wong and Stephen’s hands.

“Wouldn’t want to miss the big occasion.” Stephen replied. “Besides, peter was adamant that we came.”

“Of course he was.”

As the gathering went on, Scott gathered everyone in a circle like seating arrangement, then sat next to Tony and handed him a small, handmade booklet.

“I know you have the money to buy anything in the world, but Clint and I figured you might need it. It’s stuff you’d probably like to know as a new parent, and we’d figure we’d give you some of the things we’ve learned as parents.” He explained. Tony took the booklet as skimmed through it lightly, a small smile forming on his lips. One by one, the avengers began to get up and give him a gift. Wanda and Hope had found a soft brown teddy bear for Alvaro, and Bucky and Sam were clueless on what do get, so they gave him a box of diapers. When Peter walked up, he began to scratch the back of his neck.

“I know it’s not the best thing made, but Ned, Michelle, and I worked really hard on it.” He said as he held up a handmade baby mobile. Hanging from it (with strong fishing line) was a well-drawn, hand painted arc reactor, a Mjölnir made of oven-baked clay, A 3D printed Captain America shield, a green fist made out of clay, A plastic black widow spider, and a small wooden bow and arrow. Tony usually kept his composure when around others, but it fell for a split second as he admired the mobile.

“Thanks Pete.” He said as he stood up and gave the teen a hug.

After Peter, Clint handed Tony a large cardboard box. When Tony opened it, he found numerous onesies, socks, and other clothes along with two large blankets.

“Laura was going to throw them out after Nathaniel grew out of them, but I think you’d find more use to them than the trash.” He commented as Tony looked through the box. After everyone had given their gifts, cake was passed around and the group began to disperse. Some stayed in the living room and watched the soccer game, and others chatted in the kitchen. Peter ,however, stayed by Alvaro’s carrier. Even when the baby slept, the teen stood close by. When the child began to fuss, he was right by his side to play with  him. Tony couldn’t contain a grin as he saw Peter and Alvaro together.

“I think the kid is more excited to see Alvaro than me.” He joked to Clint.

“I wouldn’t doubt it. He’s been asking about him since the news spread.” Clint replied as he took a sip of coffee.

Once everyone had their fair share of drinks and cake, they all began to leave to their rooms. Peter and Scott stayed behind and began to clean the balloons and streamers while Clint cleaned the kitchen.

“I’ll help you guys, just let me put the kid in his room.” Tony called as he began to walk towards his room. As he climbed the stairs and down the hallway, he heard another set of footsteps follow him. When he turned, Stephen stood by the staircase.

“Need something Houdini?” Tony questioned as he set the baby carrier down. Stephen began to walk towards him.

“No, not really. I um-” Stephen fumbled. “I came to give you this.”

Stephen pulled his closed, shaking hand from his pocket and opened it to reveal a small, braided navy blue bracelet made out of fabric. Tony could tell it was handmade.

“This will provide Alvaro protection from any magical being or spell. If he’s in life threatening danger, it’ll conjure a temporary shield too.” Stephen explained. As Tony reached out to pick up the bracelet, his hand brushed against Stephen’s cold hands, and lingered for a moment. Tony’s heart skipped a beat and began to thud against his chest. He took the bracelet calmly.

“A shield?” He questioned with a joking eyebrow raise. Stephen rolled his eyes.

“Be nice; Wong spent a good amount of time finding the spell for it.”

“Well tell him I said thanks.” Tony replied as reached his hand out for a handshake. Stephen took it and gave his hand a light squeeze.

“Thank you.” Tony added in a soft tone. “I’m sure Alvaro will greatly appreciate it.”

Another slowed moment fell upon them as Tony looked into Stephen’s bright blue eyes. Or were they green? There were specks of green within the sea of blue, but maybe it was a turquoise. Tony’s heart rate slightly increased the more he gazed at Stephen. However, Stephen gave him a similar gaze, and it was as if their gazes were temporarily locked in place. The ethereal lighting in the compound wasn’t helping either. The sun was beginning to set and layed a blanket of gold over the grey-white walls and floors of the compound. The sun’s reflection from the glass next to the stairs caused small specks of light that shined like diamonds. It felt enchanting, and part of Tony wanted the moment to last longer. However, Alvaro’s whining tore both of them from the moment, and Tony picked the carrier up again.

“See ya around Stephen.” Tony called out as Stephen began to walk down the stairs. He internally smacked himself for using Stephen’s first name so casually and almost admiringly. They had always used their last names to greet one another; why was this any different?

Stephen paused for a moment at the use of his first name, but looked down to hide a grin.

“Goodbye Anthony.”

Tony’s heart momentarily stilled again.

  



	6. Building and Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter has a lot of spelling or grammar errors. I didn't have time to edit it but I really wanted to post it since I haven't updated (Schoolwork has got me super busy).   
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Tony stirred from his sleep at the sound of Alvaro crying. It wasn’t an abrupt wake like his nightmares produced. No, it was a more peaceful in a sense. His nightmares brought high heart rates and uncontrollable sweat, but being waked by his son brought warmth. It meant early morning hugs and watching the sun rise while on the rocking chair. Even though it had been almost four months, Tony still felt the same joy as when he brought Alvaro home. 

“FRIDAY, what time is it?” He mumbled as he sat up from his bed and stretched.

“6:47 boss.” The AI replied. The engineer nodded and headed to the nursery. As he walked towards the room, the child's crying grew louder. 

“What's got you all worked up now?” Tony asked sleepily. When he picked up the child, he made a face and turned his nose away.

“Whew, that's a bad one. How'd you manage to make such a stink bomb?” He chuckled. After he changed his child’s diaper, he walked to the patio facing the forest the compound was surrounded by. The sun was already beginning to rise and painted the clouds a beautiful shade of orange and pink. As he sat down on the rocking patio chair, Alvaro buried his face in Tony’s shirt at the brightness of the sky. It didn’t the infant long to fall back asleep as Tony rocked back and forth lightly.

The vision the stones had given him only showed him a fraction of the bliss he felt now. For once in a very long time, he felt momentarily free of any worries he had and felt a happiness he thought he had never known. The mornings were now his favorite, and he made it a point to go to sleep earlier so he wouldn’t miss the sunrise with Alvaro. The child was not bothered too much by the bright, rising sun; as long as his father held him close, he was content. 

The start of their journey together was patchy at first. As much as Tony read up on taking care of a baby, he still struggled. Bathing Alvaro for the first time started off as a complete disaster, but Clint was there to help. He knew Tony would struggle with it, and said almost every parent does their first go-around. Tony was very thankful to have Clint in the compound often, and for the booklet he and Scott made for Tony. He used it more often than he thought. Once Alvaro and Tony fell into a routine, things began to smooth out. Changing diapers, cleaning spit up, and waking up lots of times during the night became easier for the mechanic. 

“You’re officially five months today, kid.” Tony whispered as he kissed the top of Alvaro’s head. “Crazy how time just flies by.”

Alvaro fidgeted in his sleep, but didn’t completely wake up. As he gazed down at his sleeping child, his mind went back to the visions he remembered from the gauntlet. He remembered feeling immeasurable joy seeing his grown up child, but he also remembered another kind of joy. The embrace before the vision was different. His heart beat then had elevated and he remembered small butterflies in his stomach. A small part of him felt nervous at the familiarity of the different warmth in his chest in the vision. He knew what it was, but he didn’t dare to label it with the word. What worried him more was that the same feeling began to blossom when he was around a certain doctor.

 

*   * *   *

 

“Mr. Stark, I can take care of Alvaro during the meeting.” Peter tried to say calmly, but his excitement couldn’t be hidden when the baby Stark was around. Tony couldn’t help but smile.

“Sure, just be careful; he might puke on you.” Tony joked as he handed his child to the older teen, giving him a spit-up towel. 

“Good morning Varo! It’s so good to see you.” Peter cooed as he smiled at the child. Alvaro happily spouted gibberish back. 

Peter made sure to sit in the very back with Alvaro as the meeting began. The other Avengers would wave at both of them as they walked in and sat down in their chairs. Peter’s excitement grew more as he saw the sorcerer's portal into the meeting room. To his surprise, Stephen gave them a small wave as he walked in. 

As everyone settled down and the meeting began, Peter pulled out Alvaro’s favorite stuffed animal from Tony’s baby bag and quietly entertained the child. Alvaro took no time in trying to grab the plush dolphin and chewing on one of its fins. For most of the meeting, Alvaro stayed relatively quiet, as he usually did, but the small movement of the cloak of levitation caught his bright brown eyes. He squirmed in Peter’s lap as he continued gazing at the sentient red cloak, who seemed just as curious as Alvaro did. The small tug from the cloak drew Stephen’s attention to the teen and child sitting next to him. As he turned his head, he watched the cloak lightly poke the young Stark, who cooed in awe. Peter began to struggle slightly as Alvaro tried to reach to Stephen. Usually, when Alvaro reached for someone, they would welcome him with open arms, but Stephen was the only one who didn’t. Everyone in the compound had held Alvaro at least once; even Wong held him once every so often. However, Stephen kept a safe distance from the child to avoid it, but now he was trapped. At first, Stephen stayed still as he looked at the child, but as Alvaro began to fuss and wine, he gave in. With a sigh, Stephen took Alvaro from Peter and sat him in his lap. The child gave him a bright smile as he fiddled with the cloak and the teething toy Stephen held(thanks to Peter). 

On the far end of the table near the main screen, Tony was thankful Clint was mainly directing the meeting. He had to bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from grinning or smiling as he saw Alvaro playing in Stephen’s arms. Stephen seemed completely unfazed by Alvaro messing with the cloak and his hand. As the meeting went on, Alvaro leaned back onto Stephen, and the sorcerer adjusted his arm so he was supporting Alvaro’s head. Even when Alvaro was half asleep, he held onto Stephen’s hand. Stephen’s thumb gently rubbed Alvaro’s small wrist, which had a blue, handmade bracelet tied around it. 

The heartwarming moment was broken as Clint called an end to the meeting. As everyone began to get up, Stephen handed Alvaro back to Peter. At first, Alvaro wined and reached out for Stephen again, but fell back asleep once he was held by Peter. Tony had to keep from laughing as he saw his child begin to drool on Peter’s shoulder, which was luckily covered by the small baby towel Tony gave him. 

“Hey Strange!” Tony called as he saw the sorcerer begin to create a portal. “You got a minute?”

Stephen turned his head as his hands lowered to his side.

“Make it quick.” he replied as he pulled off his sling ring.

“Let's go to my work space; I think what I've got there will explain it better.” Tony commented while he nodded to floor above them. As they both walked up the compound’s staircase, Stephen felt something brush his hand, and when he looked down, he saw Tony’s hand pull back, as if it was accident. Maybe it was, and Stephen was just imagining it. 

Once they got to Tony’s workshop, Stephen’s eyes landed on the blue, 3D projected screen in the middle of the room. A not-quite-finished prosthetic leg was projected in the room, and several computer windows were next to it. They contained various articles and research over functioning prosthetic limbs. One, however, caught Stephen’s attention. In the midst of the other articles, there was one that contained studies over the brain. 

“This is my recent project, but I’ve sorta hit a block.” Tony began. “I’ve found a way for my nanotech to work when I tell it too, but Alvaro doesn’t need a leg made out of that. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to program the prosthetic like a normal leg, but I don’t know neurological stuff like you do; I was hoping you could help.”

Stephen studied the various displays in awe, letting his stoic mask melt away. His ocean blue eyes never tore away from them as he walked around the room. As Stephen looked at Tony’s work, Tony couldn’t help but gaze at the handsome sorcerer.  Blue was definitely Stephen’s color. There was just something about the way the blue contrasted with Stephen’s fair skin that took Tony’s breath away. 

“You do know I get busy from time to time.” Stephen commented, breaking Tony’s thought process. 

“So do I. I’m sure we can work something out.” Tony replied. Stephen furrowed his brows as he itched the side of his chin. 

“I don’t know how I’d be much of a help.” He added quietly.

“You’re a neurosurgeon-”

“- _ Was  _ a neurosurgeon.” Stephen interrupted. 

“Doesn’t change what you’ve learned.”

Stephen fell silent as he began to subtly hide his hands behind the cloak. He thought Tony wouldn’t pick up on his movement, but the mechanic knew. 

“When would you like to work on it?” Stephen asked.

“How about to tomorrow?” Tony asked, hope ringing in his tone. He felt a smile bubbling up, but hid it well.

“Sure.”

 

*   * *   *

 

Stephen hoped the fluttering of his heart would go away after being around Tony daily, but it did the opposite. Everyday after busy meetings and dimension patrol, Tony and Stephen would work in Tony’s now-cleaned and organized workshop. Alvaro would be with them, but most of the time, he slept in the automatic rocker Tony bought. Other times, Peter and May would come in and take Alvaro to play with him. 

As much as Stephen hated to admit it, he loved being back in his medical element. He despised his old narcissistic self, but his love of neuroscience never seemed to go away. As much as he tried to hide his passion and excitement, Tony caught glimpses of it. While Stephen disliked how much he enjoyed working on the project, Tony loved it. The fluttering butterflies in the mechanic’s stomach grew the more time he spent with the excited sorcerer. 

Even if Stephen tried to calm his heart, Tony wasn’t helping. As weeks passed, the mechanic began to approach him differently. Instead of saying “behind you” as Tony moved around to find the right tool he was looking for, the engineer began to place a light hand on Stephen’s back as a way of saying “I’m here”. Stephen mainly stood next to one table studying different medical articles and took notes(He was impressed at how easy it was to display a 3D model of the brain and various neurons). However, when Tony would place his hand on his back, his mind would short circuit and whatever he train of thought he had became derailed. When Tony needed Stephen to look at the progress he made on the prosthetic, he would lightly place his hand on the sorcerer’s arm and give it a light tug. At first, Stephen wasn’t sure what to think of it since he mainly kept to himself and relied mostly on verbal cues, but it grew on him. He was hesitant to do the same with Tony due to his hands, so he started off with giving Tony light taps on the shoulder, making sure his shaking hands were out of sight.

“I hope you know I plan on making more of these for others.” Tony commented as he worked on the small leg in front of him. 

“I expect you too.” Stephen replied.

“I was thinking we could name it.” Tony chuckled. “You know, like the new Stark-Strange technology?”

“Strange-Stark is better.” The sorcerer added. 

“Stark-Strange has a better ring to it, and it rolls of the tongue easier.”

Stephen rolled his eyes as he glanced to the engineer, then back at his work. As he did, Tony got up from his seat and walked out of the workshop. Before he did, he gave a small pat on Stephen’s shoulder with a quiet “I’ll be back”. Not long after, Stephen heard a small shuffle of a blanket being moved. The sorcerer turned his head to see the young Stark yawning as he rubbed his face. Alvaro immediately scanned the workshop for Tony, but began to whimper once he realized he wasn’t there. 

“Oh you’re fine. He’ll be back in a minute.” Stephen called out to the child. Alvaro loudly babbled gibberish back at Stephen as he waved his small blanket up. Stephen tried to shush him, but Alvaro smiled brightly and squealed louder, as if to test him.

“You’re just like your father, you know.” The sorcerer sighed as he walked over to the rocker. As he did, Alvaro began to wiggle in his rocker with excitement. Stephen softly chuckled as he looked down at the beaming child. 

“I have absolutely no idea why you like me.” He said to Alvaro. “I’ve never been good with children.”

Alvaro giggled in response as he held his stuffed dolphin up to Stephen. The sorcerer couldn’t help but grin as he gave the stuffed animal a small pat. As Stephen kneeled down next to the rocker, he cupped his hands together for a moment. When he opened them, dozens of glowing blue butterflies flew from his palms and danced around Alvaro. The young Stark began to laugh even more as he gazed at the butterflies whirling and floating all around him. 

Little did they know Tony was hiding around the corner smiling from ear to ear as he recorded them.

 

*   * *   *

 

Stephen glanced questionably down at his desk as he walked in his room. A medium sized red box was placed on it and had a folded note taped to it. At first, Stephen hesitated to open it, but he recognized Tony’s handwriting.

“ _ Thought you might like this -TS _ .” The note read. As Stephen opened the box, he almost dropped it in shock. Inside was a pair of golden yellow gloves almost identical to Stephen’s original pair. When he put them on, his heart stilled. With the gloves on, his shaking hands seemed almost still. Stephen could feel the metallic-yet-soft fabric inside the gloves somehow dampening the shakiness of his hands.

Stephen knew the fluttering of his heart wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. 

  
  



End file.
